Reusable resilient bottle capsule

ABSTRACT

A reusable resilient bottle capsule having a top cap portion, a medial portion that extends downwardly from and is integral with the top cap portion, a lower sleeve portion extending downwardly from and integral with the medial portion. The interior wall of the capsule has a surface configuration dividing the interior wall into a generally cylindrical lower portion with a first diameter that tightly conforms to the neck of a bottle below the banded collar of a bottle, an annular medial channel with a second diameter, larger than that of the first diameter, that permits the medial channel to straddle and accommodate the banded collar of a bottle, and an upper cylindrical portion with a third diameter substantially the same as that of the first diameter and which tightly surrounds and engages the pouring spout portion of the bottle. An annular channel in the underside of the top cap portion may be provided to facilitate a tight seal around the bottle pour spout. The resilient material has a Shore rating that allows the capsule to be installed and removed repeatedly without losing its efficacy in preventing oxidation and spillage of bottle contents, even when the bottle is laid on its side or inverted.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/320,672, filed Apr. 2, 2010.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

THE NAMES OR PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable.

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not applicable.

SEQUENCE LISTING

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to bottle seals, and more particularly tosecondary wine bottle seals, and still more particularly to a resilientwine bottle capsule that may be reused after the bottle has beenuncorked.

2. Discussion of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37CFR §§1.97, 1.98

Wine bottles are the most well known of bottles sealed with corks,though several other products also employ cork seals, including oliveoils, vinegars, beer, spirits, perfumes, and so forth. The industrystandard for sealing wine bottles is to insert a standard or syntheticcork in the bottle mouth and then to provide a secondary seal with abottle capsule, typically fabricated from tin, polylaminate, orpolyvinyl chloride. Until the 1990s, capsules were generally made fromlead. Wine producers have also used wax as a secondary seal, as thisprovides significant enhanced protection from inadvertent oxygen contactwith the wine.

However, once a wine bottle has been opened, the quality of the winequickly degrades due to exposure to oxygen. To retard the degradation,especially in the case of white wines, consumers will frequentlyreinsert the removed cork into the bottle and place it in a temperaturecontrolled wine closet or a refrigerator. The problem with this approachis that the seal is imperfect and leaks are common, particularly whenthe bottle is laid on its side.

Other solutions include the production of a vacuum and the insertion ofa specialized stoppers using a system such as the VACU VIN® wine saverand bottle resealing system by Vacu-Products of As Delft Netherlands.Another solution is to introduce a blanket of inert gas over an openwine by squirting it into the bottle though an elongate tube connectedto the nozzle of a pressurized can of nitrogen or argon, such as theWINE SAVER PRO® by Wine Gadgets, LLC of Allentown, Pa. The former hasnot held up well in tests (that is, the contained product suffersconsiderable oxidation), and the latter is prohibitively expensive forthe ordinary consumer. [VACUVIN is a registered trademark ofVacu-Products B.V., of Delft, Netherlands; WINE SAVER PRO is aregistered trademark of Timothy S. Fallon, of Center Valley, Pa.]

The need remains for an inexpensive and easy-to-use device for resealingand temporarily preserving and preventing evaporation or spillage ofproducts from open wine bottles, or from bottles containing otherperishable or messy products, such as olive oil, soap, vinegar, and thelike. The instant invention is directed to this objective and provides aresilient bottle capsule, installed contemporaneously or nearlycontemporaneously with the initial cork insertion at bottling. This isespecially well-suited for use as a wine bottle capsule, though use as acap for preserving other perishable products is clearly contemplated.The resilient capsule is fabricated from silicon or synthetic rubber andis provided with interior dimensions, internal surface features and across-sectional profile that combine to make placement of the capsuleover the open mouth of an open bottle easy and removal of the capsulealso easy, while at the same time providing effective resealing of thebottle so as to prevent further exposure to oxygen from the atmosphereoutside the bottle. When a bottle is resealed with the inventivecapsule, spills are entirely prevented.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and objects other than those setforth above will become apparent when consideration is given to thefollowing detailed description thereof. Such description makes referenceto the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wine bottle in an unopened state,showing the inventive resilient capsule installed over the bottle mouth(i.e., its pouring spout or “finish”);

FIG. 2 is a closer detailed side view in elevation of the of the capsuleinstalled on the bottle;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view in elevation of the capsuleinstalled on a wine bottle with its initially installed cork inside thebottle neck;

FIG. 4 is a closer detailed side view in elevation showing how theresilient capsule conforms to the wine bottle upper neck and open mouth;and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view in elevation of the capsuleinstalled on a wine bottle with its initially installed cork removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 5, wherein like reference numerals refer tolike components in the various views, there is illustrated therein a newand improved resilient wine bottle capsule, generally denominated 10herein. The capsule includes a top cap portion 12 with an enlarged rim14 to facilitate gripping. When installed on a wine bottle 16, the topcap portion circumscribes the upper portion of the banded collar finishcharacteristic of wine bottles. This is the upper pouring spout portion18 immediately above the top flange 20 of the bottle.

The capsule further includes a medial portion 22, which tightlycircumscribes the upper portion banded collar or top flange 20, and alower sleeve portion 24 which tightly circumscribes the bottle neck 26immediately below the banded collar 20.

From the capsule rim 14 to the bottom edge 28 of the lower sleeveportion 24, the exterior surface 30 of the capsule preferably tapersgently inward. The capsule is divided interiorly into three distinctportions, including an upper, medial, and lower portion, each defined bythe surface configuration of the interior wall 32 of the capsule. Theinterior wall thus includes a generally cylindrical lower portion 34having a first diameter that defines the lower sleeve portion; anannular medial channel 36 has a second diameter larger than the firstdiameter and defines the medial portion that accommodates the top flange20; and a small upper cylindrical portion 38, having a third diametersubstantially the same as that of the first diameter, defines the upperportion and closely surrounds and engages the pouring spout portion 18of the bottle.

As shown in FIG. 3, the capsule is installed when the bottle is firstcorked during bottling, or shortly thereafter. As with conventionalcapsules, the inventive capsule enhances protection of the cork 40 andsubstantially prevents the cork from drying out and permitting oxygen toenter the bottle. FIG. 4 shows how the capsule conforms to the upper endof the bottle so as to seal the opening at the bottle mouth, whichsealing is enhanced by the resilient material from which the capsule isfabricated, and by an optional annular channel 42 in the interiorunderside 44 of the top cap portion. FIG. 5 shows that the inventivecapsule seals the bottle to prevent further oxidation of the bottlecontents and to prevent spillage.

The resilient capsule of the present invention is preferably fabricatedfrom pure gum rubber, synthetic rubber, or food grade silicone, and aresized such that they can be gently stretched to cover the top of thebottle when first installed, and gently peeled from the top of thebottle when the consumer wishes to remove the cork. The capsule ispreferably fabricated from a resilient material having a shore durometerof approximately Shore A-50 (+/−5 points) under the ASTM D2240 testingstandard. With appropriate sizing, a capsule fabricated from thismaterial is sufficiently resilient to accept the stretch needed forremoval and also the stretch required for replacement after corkremoval. When so replaced, the resilient material again conforms to thesurface features of the bottle to provide an airtight and watertightseal, such that liquid cannot escape from the bottle and air cannot getback in to the bottle. Thus, the open but resealed bottle may be laid onits side in a refrigerator for storage. Accordingly, the capsule maysupplement the initial seal and thus replace it after the bottle isuncorked, or it may be employed exclusively as a seal for an openedbottle that is kept ready-at-hand for use as needed.

Finally, the resilient capsule of the present invention lends itself toproduct branding and promotional programs. Whereas conventional capsulesare generally discarded as rubbish after removal (thrown away and neverto be used again), the inventive capsule may be reused nearlyindefinitely. This provides producers with the motivation to mark thecapsules with names 44, either of goods, or services, or events, specialoccasions, product and company graphics, colors, logos, and the like,and such indicia will provide an enduring brand statement that willcontinue to complement labels on their own resealed bottles, and mayeven eclipse or compete with brand elements on other producer bottlesresealed with the resilient capsule by consumers who keep them forfuture use after the original product is consumed.

As will be appreciated from the foregoing, in its most essential aspect,the resilient bottle capsule of the present invention includes a top capportion, a medial portion that extends downwardly from and is integralwith the top cap portion. Next, a lower sleeve portion extendsdownwardly from and is integral with said medial portion. Interiorly,the capsule includes an interior wall having a surface configurationthat divides the interior wall into three regions, including a generallycylindrical lower portion with a first diameter that tightly conforms tothe neck of a bottle below the banded collar of a bottle. It nextincludes an annular medial channel with a second diameter, larger thanthat of the first diameter and that permits the medial channel tostraddle and accommodate the banded collar of a bottle of apredetermined size. Finally, the capsule includes an upper cylindricalportion with a third diameter substantially the same as that of thefirst diameter and which tightly surrounds and engages the pouring spoutportion of the bottle. The resilient material with a carefully selectedShore rating allows the capsule to be installed and removed repeatedlywithout losing its efficacy in preventing oxidation and spillage ofbottle contents, even when the bottle is laid on its side or inverted.

The above disclosure is sufficient to enable one of ordinary skill inthe art to practice the invention, and provides the best mode ofpracticing the invention presently contemplated by the inventor. Whilethere is provided herein a full and complete disclosure of the preferredembodiments of this invention, it is not desired to limit the inventionto the exact construction, dimensional relationships, and operationshown and described. Various modifications, alternative constructions,changes and equivalents will readily occur to those skilled in the artand may be employed, as suitable, without departing from the true spiritand scope of the invention. Such changes might involve alternativematerials, components, structural arrangements, sizes, shapes, forms,functions, operational features or the like.

Therefore, the above description and illustrations should not beconstrued as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined bythe appended claims.

1. A resilient reusable bottle capsule, comprising: a top cap portion; amedial portion integral with said top cap portion; a lower sleeveportion integral with said medial portion; and an interior wall having asurface configuration dividing said interior wall into a generallycylindrical lower portion having a first diameter, an annular medialchannel having a second diameter larger than said first diameter thatpermits said medial channel to straddle and accommodate the bandedcollar of a bottle of a predetermined size, and an upper cylindricalportion having a third diameter substantially the same as that of saidfirst diameter which tightly surrounds and engages the pouring spoutportion of the bottle.
 2. The resilient reusable bottle capsule of claim1, wherein when installed on a bottle having a banded collar finish,said top cap portion tightly circumscribes the upper portion of thebottle above the banded collar and said lower portion tightlycircumscribes the neck of the bottle below the banded collar.
 3. Theresilient reusable bottle capsule of claim 1, wherein said top capportion includes an integral enlarged rim to facilitate gripping wheninstalling or removing said capsule.
 4. The resilient reusable bottlecapsule of claim 1, wherein said capsule includes an exterior surfacethat tapers inwardly from said top portion to a bottom edge of saidlower sleeve portion.
 5. The resilient reusable bottle capsule of claim1, wherein said capsule is fabricated from a material selected from puregum rubber, synthetic rubber, and food grade silicone.
 6. The resilientreusable bottle capsule of claim 5, wherein said material has a shoredurometer of about Shore A-50, +/−5 points, under the ASTM D2240 testingstandard.